I am relieved the reunion dinner was a success. No more rushing off to grab ever more groceries. Yay!
I spent so much time in my kitchen cooking and preparing, I'm honestly a little sick of the sight of my kitchen. I am so exhausted but grateful for the experience. I feel like I can truly call myself my grandmother's grand-daughter at last. I mean, she used to do the marketing, cooking, cleaning, etc. all by herself. She was my wonder-woman grandmother.
I really miss her and mom a lot during CNY. I guess CNY was meaningful to my family this year, once again, after almost eight years of dull dinners and visitations.
My other uncles and aunts were rather impressed with the spread of food. We had so many "new" items on the "menu" this year - even scallop and oysters, and even a "new" type of fish dumpling lol!
They even expressed openly to me that they would love to come over again for reunion dinner next year hahaha..
I was very cheeky :P My dad was within earshot when I told them, "Really ah? You tell my dad lor, if you wanna come - no problem on my side!" Hahahaha :P Then I quickly ran off before my dad could turn around to give me his angry-at-Debbie look ^___^v
My dad is the only unhappy one this year, I guess. He went to bed at 3am on Chinese New Year's Day with an ultra black face. We spent the whole night cleaning up the entire house all over again. (Again because we'd already cleaned the entire house before they arrived.) He doesn't wanna have the reunion at our place next year - but I told him that if Grandfather wants us to host, we don't have a choice lol.
Poor dad :P I'll just have to cook him an extra pot of chicken and mushroom stew sometime next week when I have gotten over my kitchen phobia hahahaha..
Well, given a choice between my grandfather's and my dad's happiness, I'd choose my grandfather's any day.
During the dinner, I was already tired and kept busy running around re-filling the broth, taking out more frozen stuff etc, etc.
There were no 'thank-you's or 'well done's, but the entire week's effort was more than paid for when my grandfather asked me to share our piano bench (We even utilised the piano bench for the dinner - lack of chairs..) with him :)
So I sat next to him when I could get a chance to - it is not easy when twenty three other people need you to tell them where to find the extra soup/veggies/plates/bowls/forks/spoons/chopsticks, or need you to get stuff for them.
Something so simple made all the trouble worth it :)
Grandfather really enjoyed the dinner. I guess all the inconvenience and exhaustion just melted away when I watched him happily picking the portions he wanted and cooking them in the steamboat by himself. He even stayed on to savour the soup (which I studiously tended to overnight) after most of the family was done at the table.
...
Those of my friends who were close to me know how in 2005, I felt a strange urge to come home from Australia, even though I really preferred my life over there. Well, what I didn't go around saying openly was that for some reason, I believed very strongly back then that my grandfather would be sick in 2006. It is not something to joke about and I took it very seriously. And so after much difficulty, I moved home to be with my family - even though there were people who doubted my sanity :)
Well..
My grandfather was really diagnosed with cancer last year and his tumour was so huge it protruded from his neck and was very visible.
I was so worried. Losing both mom and grandmother to cancer gave me a very real, inconsolable fear.
I count it as a miracle that he was pronounced fully cured after 33 radiotheraphy sessions. I guess just knowing that he is well now is more than enough to make me wanna walk barefeet to the ends of the earth in joy.
...
This reunion dinner was bought with tears - sad tears when he was sick, and happy tears because it truly is a celebration that I have sacrificed a lot for (academically). No matter how my university may want to screw up my life right now (like they have been doing every semester), at least I feel that my homecoming has been justified.
I have no regrets. All that matters is my grandfather is well and happy :) I may not be able to graduate as planned but I know I would not be able to forgive myself if I had missed this once in a lifetime opportunity to celebrate him :)
Perhaps this is the same reason I could put up with that particular aunt of mine too - My grandfather :)
The Food
The Family
The First Grandchild :P
...
I'm not done visiting! It's been a hectic week, I met up with both my god-sisters today and tomorrow I'm gonna post E's parcel and get some stuff in order to fill some orders. Saturday I still need to visit my Tua Ee :P
So, yeah, I should sleep now hehe :)
Goodnight :)
- 23 February 2007 1:54am -
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